Someone To Turn To
by Gothic-Romantic99
Summary: Kaori is there to comfort Hotaru during her weakest moment. Rated for a few dark images.


Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Author's Note: Hotaru and Kaori are my two favorite characters in the series, and probably why Sailor Moon S is my favorite of the seasons. They don't get along too well in the show, but I got to thinking, what if Kaori were to show her caring side towards Hotaru for once? And how would that affect the relationship between Kaori and Dr. Tomoe (them being my favorite couple)?

Warnings: There is some angst as well as a few dark and disturbing images.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

The raven-haired girl of a fresh age of twelve sat on her bed, her back hunched over, and her face in her hands. Of the numerous lamps decorating the space, only two dimly lit the area. She wore a black turtleneck sweater and pleated skirt with matching nylon stockings. The radio spilled the sorrowful tunes of a violin trio.

The image of that boy's face replayed in her head over and over. His sandy blonde hair covering the brow line just above his cold chestnut eyes. His large lips curved up in a smirk. The sound laughter came from those surrounding. He lifted his head back and joined in with a deep cackle of his own. Hotaru herself sat on her knees in front of him with a sticky face marred with both tears and purple liquid.

Hotaru sniffed and glanced over at her school uniform that she tossed lazily on the floor after changing into something more comfortable. The grape juice stained her maroon sweater and green and blue plaid skirt.

She internally screamed at herself for being foolish enough to trust his words. Each day at school ended either with people laughing at or running from her. She kept her head down while she walked, afraid to make eye contact with any of her classmates.

It had been years since that time after the accident when she woke to find herself with new abilities. Her father had the misfortune to see her use her healing powers twice. He instructed her never to use those special gifts in the presence of the other kids. She kept her promise, even in a time of high suffering.

* * *

*Two Years Prior*

As the school-year progressed she accidentally came to a realization that she also inherited a second power. Unlike the healing touch, this one she feared. It was after a girl pushed her down on the sidewalk that her eyes glowed. No one saw the change in her physical appearance and as she rushed the angry air out of her lungs the bully fell and busted both her knee and lip. Those standing around laughed and blamed it on her own clumsiness. Hotaru shook as she discovered what she could do. She wished to inform her father of this new terror, but afraid of his reaction, she kept it quiet for some time. At that moment she made a vow to herself to never again use that power no matter what the circumstance. And she never meant to, but when pushed to the extremes of anger or frustration they seemed to pour out against her will. Once she actually injured another classmate who relentlessly teased her.

It was almost at the end of the year when talk of Hotaru attending the acclaimed school downtown floated around in the air. The teachers felt that she held the brainpower to get in, but lacked the social skills required to fully accept an education of that kind. The school counselor discussed these matters with Dr. Tomoe, both agreeing that perhaps at that new school she would have more of a chance to gain that needed confidence and verbal skills. Hotaru hoped that there was truth in these words and that someday she would be allowed to leave the torture chamber that currently confined her eight hours a day.

But before the acceptance letter came in the mail Hotaru had to endure the last days at the same elementary school. On one of those days that boy, the one whom everyone seemed to like, sat behind Hotaru making noises and calling her names. The teacher asked him twice to quiet down merely because he was disrupting class. He ignored the teacher's warnings, more interested in tormenting his weaker classmate. The other children laughed along with his words. On that day she was in a particularly gloomy mood because her father began to spend a little too much time with his new employee.

The boy poked her in the back with a dull pencil and called her the cruelest names a ten-year old could think of. Hotaru's tears fell increasing the laughter from the other students. He continued without much intervention from the woman who was supposed to be controlling the class. No one listened to the lesson as they were all enticed by the free entertainment before them. Hotaru's tears of pain gradually transformed into ones of intense hatred. Hotaru glared and felt heat lifting from her body. The boy began to scream as his body moved against his will. Hotaru turned her face to meet his with her eyes narrow and a scowl fixed on her face. She blinked and the child floated away from the victim. Hotaru gasped when he slammed against the wall, his hand cracking the instant of the collision. The other children stared at the girl and backed away shrieking words at her. Hotaru clamped her hands over her ears telling herself it was all a nightmare and she would soon wake up screaming in her bed. The teacher ran over to the boy and cradled him, her eyes pinned on young Tomoe. Tears fell from Hotaru's eyes as the other students cried in unison that Hotaru, a witch, did it without touching him. Hotaru argued that she did not remember hurting him, or even wanting to. The teacher ordered her to stand outside and that she would call her father to come pick her up.

The doctor rushed to the school, the secretary having told of an emergency concerning his daughter. He entered through the glass door of the main office. Hotaru sat down in the chair, her tiny legs dangling over the side. Her eyes stared down at her folded hands in her lap. When he walked into the principal's office he met the glum faces of the principal, school counselor, and his daughter's teacher.

"What happened?" Tomoe asked.

The three looked at each other trying to figure out who should speak first.

"Tomoe, does your daughter have violent tendencies in the home?" the principal asked.

"No, she's quiet, always stays in her room," Tomoe replied.

He noticed the counselor nodding her head and flipping a page in her notebook. She clicked the ball-point pen and scribbled something down.

Tomoe cleared his throat and added, "She's told me the other kids don't like her, but I know she'd never hurt anyone. She's a good girl."

The counselor jotted more notes on the paper making the girl's father want to rip them from her hands.

"Have you ever noticed anything strange with her?" the principal asked. "Stranger than usual?"

Tomoe shook his head.

The principal exchanged glances with the counselor who took that as her cue to stand.

She approached the doctor and asked, "We know about the accident in the laboratory just last year." Tomoe nodded. "After that have you noticed anything different about Hotaru?"

"No, what is going on?" Tomoe asked in fury.

"Your daughter attacked another student," the teacher blurted. "All the other kids saw her."

"Hotaru would never hurt another person," Tomoe pleaded.

"There were twenty witnesses, Tomoe," the professor interjected.

"All kids who dislike my daughter," Tomoe reminded. "It's likely the lot of them came together to hurt her." He remembered back when he was in Hotaru's grade and how the smarter bullies, who didn't come right out and harass him, formed lies to get him in trouble.

"That's not possible, Mr. Tomoe," the counselor spoke. "But the fact that you mentioned Hotaru's animosity with these children give a possible motivation for her to want to act aggressively towards another."

"I'm telling you Hotaru would never hit anyone!" Tomoe shouted.

"She didn't hit him," the teacher said taking a deep breath. "I couldn't believe it when I saw it. She sent him flying across the room without touching him."

"Now, Rika, you don't know that can't be true," the principal spoke. "It's more likely she hit him really fast and he stumbled."

"I know what I saw," the teacher retorted. "And what the other kids saw too."

"Rika, you sound like a lunatic," the principal argued.

The counselor shook her head. "Either way we can all agree that whatever happened was not a pleasant sight. Hotaru's aggression needs to be calmed." She opened her notebook to an empty page. "And it is possible that after a traumatic event like the explosion that a child's outlook on life can change. This includes aggression."

"I'm not hearing any more of this," Tomoe said walking towards the door.

"Tomoe, if you don't want to cooperate with us, then we do not want Hotaru at this school anymore," the principal said in a firm voice. "I feel it's best she goes somewhere where the staff can better work with her kind."

Tomoe's face reddened as he bared his teeth. "There's nothing wrong with my daughter. Physically or mentally."

"I've made up my mind, Tomoe."

The principal stamped a sheet of paper and put it inside a manila folder before sticking it inside his desk.

"If you need help in deciding where she should continue her education, I can assist you," the counselor said as she approached him. "I just want to see her taken care of by people who are trained to work with-"

"No need, I've found a better school," Tomoe snapped. "After hearing how you allow the other kids to bully a smaller one without lifting a finger to help, I would not let my daughter stay here another year. She's already been accepted to Mugen for the fall." He left the office without a goodbye.

Hotaru waited for him in the chairs in front of the office. Tomoe knelt down beside her and gave her a calm smile. Hotaru looked up at him with a tear-stained face.

"I didn't hurt that boy on purpose, Daddy," Hotaru wept.

Tomoe picked up his sobbing daughter and held her close to his chest.

"I know you didn't, Sweet Pea," Tomoe spoke softly. "I knew you wouldn't. But you'll never have to see any of those mean kids again. Since you passed the test we can enroll you at my school immediately."

Hotaru smiled.

* * *

The first day of the new school year Hotaru was excited to be learning at the same institution her father worked. On the first day she made friends and finally felt accepted by a group of peers. What more she could trust the professors there. They all seemed to take a special liking to her that no one, not even Hotaru herself, understood. It was not until word got out about Hotaru's relation to Professor Tomoe that the other students began to betray her. Many of her friends turned on her, calling her a teacher's pet, the result of favoritism, and even some to assume that she only got into the school because of her family history.

Those who once ate lunch with Hotaru left as soon as she reached their table. Hotaru spent her days in school as lonely as before. When she asked her father to leave he told her that it could not be done and that the school held too much for her future. Each afternoon, the moment she entered her father's office, she begged to transfer, but the white-haired man refused to comply.

After a month with no results the young teenager excluded her father from hearing about her problems. The only person she could trust was herself. She went through the next two years relying on no one. She was soon branded a loner.

That was until the previous day in which she met Ken. He approached her and sat down beside her at her lonely plot out on the grass. Hotaru sipped her orange juice through an orange, plastic straw. He put his hand on his knee and smiled wide at her.

"You know, you're very pretty, Tomoe," he spoke in a shy manner.

Hotaru choked on her juice. Ken gently slapped her on the back until she spit up the liquid. He helped wipe away the traces then put his fingers on her face.

"Your eyes are so dark and mysterious," he said. "Just like you."

Hotaru smiled and looked at the ground.

"I know that you're the top student in our class," Ken said. "When I read your name for the fourth time I asked the person sitting next to me, 'Who is Tomoe, Hotaru?' He pointed to you and I couldn't believe it. I thought how can a girl so beautiful be so smart?"

Hotaru's cheeks burned a bright red.

"For a while I've been trying to meet you, but I've been too nervous," Ken said. "Maybe sometime you'd like to go out with me."

Hotaru giggled. "I'd like to, but I don't even know your name."

"Call me Ken," he said shaking her hand. "It goes great with Hotaru."

"Yes, Ken," Hotaru spoke. "I'm not allowed to date."

"Oh boy, parents," Ken said. "Didn't think Dr. Tomoe was so strict."

"You're not his daughter," Hotaru giggled.

Ken held out a hand and said, "I understand." He ran the other hand through his hair then said, "If you don't mind, you should come sit at my table tomorrow. Inside."

Hotaru nodded. "That would be swell."

"I look forward to it, princess." He kissed her on the cheek.

Ken gave her one last wink before heading off with his friends. Hotaru placed her hand to the spot his lips touched. Were she not so wrapped up in her current euphoria she would have seen Ken pointing at her while his friends shared in with his laughter.

* * *

That night Hotaru hurried to the door and held it open for her father. As always he had his hands full of files and documents. The man smiled down at the teenager and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Daddy, I have something exciting to tell you!" Hotaru squealed.

"What is it, Sweet Pea?" he asked, placing the items down on the closest table. The extra work in his laboratory could wait a little longer. It was so rare to see that huge of a smile on his daughter's face.

"This nice boy Ken, from school, he asked me to sit with him tomorrow," she answered quickly.

Tomoe stood in silence for a bit. "Ken?" he asked trying to recall if he taught anyone with that name. "I don't think I like you hanging out with boys."

"It's okay, he's a nice boy," Hotaru retorted. "And we're just eating lunch together." She blushed then added, "He said I was pretty."

"You are pretty, Sweet Pea," he said ruffling her hair. But I don't like boys saying that. However he figured that as long as they stayed in the crowded area she would be safe. "You're growing up too fast," Tomoe said with a sigh. He had hoped the dating years would wait a bit longer. He placed a hand on her shoulder then pulled her close into an embrace. "You have a good time with this Ken tomorrow."

Hotaru silently nodded.

A woman who had overheard the conversation and walked out to meet the two. Tomoe smiled and placed his arm around his red-haired assistant while Hotaru scowled in her presence. She seethed everytime she looked upon Kaorinite; those eyes of her always looked as though they were hiding something vile. Kaori placed her fingers on Tomoe's chest.

"Did you hear?" Tomoe asked. "Hotaru has her first lunch date tomorrow."

"Oh, how sweet," Kaori said with a false smile.

He looked down at his watch. "I've got some work to do, I'll join you both for dinner," he said then hurried off to the laboratory in the back of his house leaving his daughter with the woman who desperately wanted his affection.

Kaori dropped her smile and turned to Hotaru.

"So you have a boyfriend, do you?" Kaori asked.

"No, he's just a boy," Hotaru explained.

"How'd you meet him?"

"Why do you care?" Hotaru asked with a glare.

"Don't take that tone with me, Hotaru," Kaori snapped.

"You can't threaten me," Hotaru scoffed.

"Well when I become your new mother you'll never speak to me like that again."

Hotaru held in a growl and the urge to rip Kaori's long, red hair out of her scalp. It was a subject she heard her father and the woman speak of many times when they did not know she was there. Hotaru was not entirely against her father remarrying, she just hoped it would be someone with a bit more class than Kaori. Also, she wished it could be someone who could love her as a mother should.

The only thing that puzzled her was what exactly Kaori was after. At first she figured it was her father's money, but there were plenty others in his line of work who made much more. Then there was the possibility that she wanted to be part of her father's great experiment, the details pf which were still a mystery to Hotaru. At the moment Kaori was merely a housekeeper and lab assistant, but it was possible that she was using Tomoe to make a name for herself and launch her own science career. Whatever the reason Hotaru wanted her out of her life.

"Well, I say you should heed your father's advice," Kaori said. "Any boy who just comes up and asks for a date is only trouble." She laughed then added, "Especially if he uses that 'you're pretty' line." With those words Kaori made her way to the lab, slowly swaying her hips with every step in hopes that the doctor would notice.

Hotaru shook off the tramp's words and passed into her room where she anxiously awaited the sun to set and rise.

* * *

The next day Hotaru waited all day for lunch period. Once the bell sounded she skipped to the cafeteria. Though she usually enjoyed her lunch out in the sunlight, shaded under the trees, she knew something better waited for her inside the building's gray walls. Inside the room where many ostracized her at one point, she searched for the friendly face she met the day before. Hotaru ignored the eerily numerous faces staring at her. She never picked up on the whispered voices or laughs. Her entire soul focused on the handsome boy at the end of the room.

He stood up with open arms to meet her. Ken gave her a sweet smile, one that could melt the heart of any teenage girl. Hotaru accepted his hug and thanked him again for inviting her to join him for lunch. Ken took hold of Hotaru's hands as they both sat down. In the pit of her stomach Hotaru felt somewhat awkward with how much Ken was touching her. She enjoyed hugs, but overall, all the hand-holding was something new to her.

"Am I making you nervous?" Ken asked when he noticed the slight shivers.

"Kind of," Hotaru replied. "This is my first lunch date."

Ken chuckled then said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

He released his hold on her hands which caused her to cease shuddering. She folded her hands and brought them to her lap, unable to look her new friend in the eyes. Her stomach flipped leaving her worried that she might vomit on him. She begged her entrails not to fail her.

"You really are a special girl, Hotaru," Ken said softly. Hotaru's violet eyes lit up. "I've never met anyone like you," he said moving closer to her."You look outstanding today," Ken said with a smile.

Hotaru's cheeks lit up as Ken moved one of his hands behind his back. She shut her eyes, not understanding the feeling inside. Her cheeks burned along with a fluttering in her chest. However, a part of her wished she had listened to her father's advice; it was a random thought to intrude the magical moment, but it was strong. Hotaru squeezed her eyes tighter, willing all negative thinking to leave.

Just as she opened her eyes with a smile she noticed a smirk on Ken's face. One of Ken's friends placed a carton of grape juice in the concealed hand. Ken had opened the carton of juice and poured the liquid atop her head the exact moment she opened her eyes. Hotaru gasped as she felt a cold, sticky liquid dripping down her face. Everyone around her pointed and laughed. The juice dripped onto her clothes. Hotaru grasped her soggy hair and fell to her knees. She glanced around the room to find everyone enjoying the joke. Hotaru squeezed her eyes shut slipping a few tears through her long lashes.

Hotaru leaped up from the chair and sobbed as she ran from the cafeteria. The echoes of laughter followed her through the room and even remained as she searched for a place to hide. She considered going to her father, but he was in the middle of a lecture at the moment, and she did not want him to find out what happened. For one she knew he had enough on his mind with his experiment to involve him in her problems and two, a more selfish reason, she did not want him to accidentally spill the news to Kaori.

The purple-eyed girl selected a bathroom stall of one of the lesser frequented bathrooms in the building. She sat on the toilet seat and cried softly into her hands until her eyes were puffy and sore. She planned to stay there until the final bell and even linger around to avoid Ken, or anyone else who had witnessed the spectacle made of her.

* * *

She now sat in her room trying to figure out why she fell for his trick. She wondered how long they planned that and how come no one rushed to her rescue. She always felt out of place no matter where she stood. Sometimes she wished she could have the power to silence all who harmed her.

Hotaru's hands grasped her head as violent imagery flooded to her mind. She shook her head as tears continued to leak. The faces of all those who once harmed her screamed as they slowly dissolved into nothing. The buildings around her crumbled. Behind it all she wore a sadistic smile, cackling at the slain bodies of her enemies.

As fast as the images came they vanished. The dark-haired girl rested her full body on the bed with the left side of her face propped up on the pillow. She wept slowly.

There came a soft knock at Hotaru's door. Hotaru wiped away the tears and pushed her hair behind her ears before opening the door. Standing there was Kaori dressed in a rather impractical, purple business suit. She held a tray with a tuna sandwich and a glass of apple juice.

Hotaru grabbed the food and went to close the door.

"That's rude, Hotaru," Kaori said in a haughty voice as she put her heeled shoe in the doorway.

"I don't want to talk to you, Kaori!" Hotaru shouted while Kaori widened the space between herself and the door.

"Why? Did something happen with that boy?"

"Shut up!" Hotaru screamed as she threw the tray against the wall.

Kaori's eyes narrowed. "Hotaru, you are going to clean this up now."

"I will, just go away!" Hotaru yelled while she threw herself on her bed. She smashed her face into the security of the pillow and wept.

Kaori smiled for she knew it was exactly what the Sovereign wanted. The lady was prophesized to choose a physically weak body for the human host. The plan was to search out someone who suffered in many ways and take control of that person's mind. The more agony the child faced the less likely she was to fight the Sovereign when the time came for her to seize control. It was what she and Tomoe had been working towards for the last four years.

Kaori knew she was not supposed to interfere with the Sovereign's plans. What more she should not interfere with the doctor's plans. But as Kaori watched Hotaru's weakest moment she felt an acute pain in her chest. Her green eyes drooped in synchrony with her ruby lips. She felt sick to her stomach.

_I shouldn't be feeling these feelings. I'm a lady of darkness._

Yet as she observed she no longer saw the Sovereign in her human form, but Dr. Tomoe's daughter. There laid the daughter of the very man she loved and craved.

"Go away," Hotaru sobbed.

Kaori sighed and made her way over to Hotaru's bed. She sat down beside the bawling girl and folded her hands as all words left her brain. Hotaru glanced up and sniffed. Kaori reached her arm onto the teenager's shoulder and pulled her close to herself. Kaori draped her arms around Hotaru and leaned the girl's head against her neck. She stroked Hotaru's hair in a soft pattern.

"It's okay, Hotaru, you can trust me," spoke Kaori.

Hotaru glanced up to meet the gentle eyes of the woman she so often despised.

"Just between us girls," Kaori added. "It won't leave this room without your permission."

Hotaru felt trapped on what she should do. Never before would she trust Kaori with her life. Kaori was an intelligent woman her father hired to help him with his research. She was the lady who always had her arm around the doctor when she should be taking notes or measurements. She was the same woman who often spoke to her in a condescending tone. Yet in Kaori's arms she felt warm and safe.

Hotaru sniffed and wiped away the tears.

"That boy who wanted to date me," Hotaru began. She stopped as more tears fell. "He didn't want me after all. He tricked me then poured juice on my head." Hotaru fell into Kaori's grasp once more and wept harder.

"He what?" Kaori asked making sure she heard correctly.

"He poured juice on me," cried Hotaru. "It was all a trick to make a joke out of me."

Kaori tightened her grip on the Sovereign's hostess. The fearless warrior felt confusion within herself. Her brain still lacked the reason she was being kind to the girl she envied. She wanted to be the doctor's number one and take the position of ruler when the death busters completed their mission. Now she felt that her life held a different path. She suddenly remembered traces of her own childhood, a time so painful she repressed many of the memories when meeting the doctor and agreeing to serve in his mission. At one time she dreamt of being a loving wife and mother. It was a dream of countless girls, but one that Kaori was not fated to have. As she matured she felt that the woman she became would suffer if there were children to bring her down. Now that she comforted the teen that thought rejuvinated itself in her heart. She smiled and petted Hotaru's hair again.

"You know what, Hotaru?" Kaori said. The girl looked up at her with those bright, purple eyes. Kaori's smile widened. "That boy sounds like a real prick. You don't need a guy like that. Someday you're going to be someone great and he's going to beg you for another chance. And you'll be the one laughing at him."

Hotaru giggled. "You think so?"

"I know so," Kaori replied. "Just wait and see."

Hotaru sat up and wiped away the remaining tears.

"I'm feeling much better," she said.

Kaori smiled. "I'm glad." She stroked Hotaru's arm. "Just remember he's not worth your tears. Don't give him that."

Hotaru nodded. She leaned her head on Kaori's shoulder and breathed in the floral perfume. The memories of her classmates' laughter slowly died. After a few moments of silence the two finally broke.

Kaori stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress. She headed for the door and said, "I'll bring you up another sandwich, but don't expect me to clean this mess."

Hotaru nodded. "I'm sorry," she said weakly.

"Just don't let it happen again," Kaori said then turned the knob. The door opened, allowing the dim light in Hotaru's room to flood the darkened hallway.

"Kaori," Hotaru said before the mentioned woman left her sight.

Kaori turned her face to meet the girl's.

"Thanks," Hotaru said with a smile.

"Anytime, Hotaru," Kaori responded.

She shut Hotaru's door and made her way back to the laboratory. She sighed. Even if their plan ultimately failed, perhaps there was still hope for a pleasant life that the three of them could share after all.


End file.
